Information on Legal downloading

Common Myths About Sharing Copyrighted Material

MYTH: "I've done this since I was in High School and there was never a problem with it."TRUTH: Downloading copyrighted material without having paid for it and sharing that material is illegal as it is in violation of copyright laws. Although a user may have engaged in this activity in the past without an issue does not make it legal, it simply means that the user has not be caught.

MYTH: "I paid for Limewire PRO, so now it's legal since I'm paying for my file-sharing program"TRUTH: This is a completely FALSE assumption that some users make. Paying for a the program itself simply disables the pop-ups and advertisements seen in the program version that is available for free. The downloading and sharing of copyrighted material is still illegal as you are not paying for each file that you have downloaded.

MYTH: "This isn't illegal, everyone I know does it."TRUTH: Downloading copyrighted material without having paid for it and sharing that material is illegal as it is in violation of copyright laws. Although a user may have engaged in this activity in the past without an issue does not make it legal, it simply means that the user has not be caught.

MYTH: "My ISP doesn't have a problem with it."TRUTH: The ISPs do have issues with file sharing and must respond in simliar fashion whenever they are notified that illegal file sharing is occuring on their network. Typically, ISPs will send a certified letter to the user which the user must sign and return stating that they will disengage from this practice or risk losing their service.

MYTH: "I let someone else use my computer and they downloaded the file so I can't be held liable."TRUTH: You are the owner of your computer. Therefore, the machine and it's contents are your sole responsibility. If you allow another user to use your machine, you should know exactly what they are using it for and why. Failure to know what is on your machine could lead to files being shared illegally without your knowledge. However, you will still be held accountable as the files are in your possession on a machine that you own.

MYTH: "I downloaded the files over a year ago, I can't get caught with them now."TRUTH: The legality of the files on a machine will never expire. Therefore, if a file was obtained and shared illegally in the past, and that file is again being shared across the Internet, the activity is in violation of existing copyright laws and the user will be held liable for sharing this material illegally.